The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Sarpanches sore over lack of freedom

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Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Sarpanches sore over lack of freedom

Staff Reporter

State blamed for not fulfilling Rajiv Gandhi’s ‘dream’

Sangareddy: The Medak district Sarpanches Association’s Chaitanya Sadassu held here on Tuesday declared that the State government has wilfully neglected the dream of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who wanted villages to be self-sufficient leading to real independence.

Addressing the meeting, Rajendra Prasad, honorary president of the State Sarpanches forum alleged that the Congress government has punctured the spirit of the Constitutional amendments that granted duties and financial freedom to the Sarpanches. He pointed out that power connections to many panchayats in the State have been cut because of their inability to pay power bills while many villages have no drinking water facility. Release of funds for the Swarna Jayanthi RojgarYojna was also stopped, he said.

Satynarayana Reddy, president of the Rangareddy District Association demanded the Government increase the honorarium to Rs. 3000 and the right to select beneficiaries for pension and right

to nominate members to the Vidya Committees and Indiramma committees.

He expressed anguish over the Government’s failure to reward the panchayat’s that elected sarpanches unanimously He said that over 3,200 villages should have received the bonanza of Rs. 5 to Rs. 10 lakh each as announced by the Government before elections.

Medak District Association president and State vice-president Rammohan Reddy wanted the Government to allow the Sarpanches to attend the District Planning Committee meetings on a par with the Councillors and ZPTCs. He criticised the Government for reducing the stamp duty in panchayats by two per cent that led to a revenue loss of Rs. 200 crore for the villages. He alleged that the State government has diverted Rs. 200 crore for Indiramma housing from the funds allocated for panchayats by the second State Finance Commission. The meeting which was attended by over 1,000 Sarpanches was unanimous in declaring that it is the MLAS and MP’s that actually hold sway over the villages and the Sarpanches have neither duties nor freedom to act. Local MLA T. Jayaparkash Reddy also attended the meeting.

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